Circular french-welt knitting-machine.



F. B. WILDMAN & G. L. BALLARD.

CIRCULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MABJI, 1913.

1, 1 05,735. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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CIRCULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MABJ, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914,

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F B WILDMAN & G L BALLARD GIRGULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

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FRANK WILDMAN. AND GEORGE LAWSON BALLARID, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYL-VANIA,'ASSIG1\TORS TO WILDMAN MFG. CO., A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR FRENCH -WELT KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1913. Serial No. 752,796.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, F RANK B. WILDMAN and GEORGE L. BALLARD, a citizenof the United States and a subject. of the King of Great Britain,respectively, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Circular FrenchWVelt,Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to circular knitting machines of the type adaptedfor making tubular or French welts, one wall of the welt being knit ofany desired number of courses on the cylinder needles and the other wallof the welt being knit of any desired number of courses on the dialneedles.

The invention consists in part of a shifting cam for throwing thecylinder needles down at one operation to traverse a path below theadvancing cam of the cylinder or to raise them to traverse the upperpath above the advancing cam, said shifting cam being associated with aswitch point to insure proper dividing of the needles, as between thosewhich are to be directed over and those which are to be directed underthe advancing cam, said switch point preventing); any needle from beingcaught on the advancing cam and causing a smash up.

The invention consists in other features hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of our improvedmachine. Fig. 2 is a side view of a knitting head with parts omitted andparts of our invention being shown in place. Fig. 3- is a view of thecams of the cylinder developed. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the camsof the dial. Fig. is a detail sectional view through a part of the cambox or ring showinc'; the switch point in its relation to the adjacentcams of the cylinder. Fig. (5 is a bottom plan view of the switch point.Fig. 7 is an end view of the switch point looking from the left of Fig.5. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the succession of changes inthe fabric.

The machine is of the fixed cylinder and dial type 1 indicating thecylinder needles and 2 the dial needles diagrammat'ically.

3 i the rotary cam box Or ring and 4 the dial cap which carries. therotary -dial cams.

The machine is duplex in character, having two sets of dial cams and twosets of cylinder cams. It has four feeds though it will be understoodthat parts of our invention may be embodied in amachine, not duplex andhaving but a single set of cams with two feeds.

Dial cams.-These comprise in each set a stitch cam 5 with the fixedadvancing cam 6 therefor, and. a stitch cam 7 with the pivoted advancingcam 8 therefor, which is known to knitters as a wing cam; also the guardcam 9 and the cam 10 for throwing the latches back. The dial cap withits cams rotates in the direction of the arrow 4* in Fig. 1. The wingcams of the two sets are arranged diametrically opposite each other andthe same is true of the other corresponding cams of the two sets.

Cylinder cam.--These involve in each set a stitch cam 5 arran ed on post5 diametrically adjacent the stitch cams 5 of the dial, the advancingcam 6, a stitch cam 7 on post 7" and an advancing cam 8, these beingrespectively located diametrically adjacent the cams 6, 7 and 8 of thedial. The cylinder cams also include in each set a shifting grooved cam11, adjustable vertically as will be hereinafter described, located inadvance of the advancing cam 6, it being understood that the cam boxtravels in the arrow direction n in Figs. 1 and 3.

In advance of this shifting cam 11 and between it and the stitch cam 7is located the clearing course cam 12, 13 and in advance of the stitchcam 7 is the advancing cam 8.

- In advance of the advancing cam 6 and in rear of the shifting cam 11is a switch point, 14. This switch point serves to divide the needles2'. e. thosethatare to go over the advancing cam 6 from those which are.to go below the advancin cam. This switch point consists of a barpivotally mounted. at 15 in the cam box, said bar extending behind oralong the outer side of the advancing cam 6 to a point in advancethereof. The bar is cut out at 16 for the post 17, to

which the advancing cam is fixed by pins 18, the said post being in turnfixed to the cam box at 19, Fig. 3. The switch device has a head 20which reaches out flush with the curved face of the needle cams. Thishead of the switch cam is beveled at its end vertically and laterallyforming an upwardly extending incline at 21, a downwardly extendinginclined face at 22 and a laterally and downwardly inclined face at- 23.It also has an upwardly and outwardly inclined face at 24-. The point,by reason of the above described formation, has an upwardly and inwardlyinclined edge 25, this inclining inwardly toward the axis of themachine. This edge extends across the width of the cam path for theneedle butts. This switch bar is pressed inwardly by a spring 26, Fig.5, but can yield or turn on its pivot outwardly, the size of the recess27 permitting this to be done. Normally it stands, as shown in Fig. 5,with the inner curved face of its head in the circular plane of thefaces of the cams of the cylinder. Its point lies directly in front ofthe point of the advancing cam 6 and it is adapted to divide theneedles, leaving the groove of the shifting cam 11, and direct them withcertainty into the upper path way and thus over the advancing cam untilthe shifting cam reaches a certain point in its downward movement whenthe switch cam, with equal certainty, will now direct the needles intothe lower cam path and thus under the advaneing cam so that theseneedles will not take the thread. The needle butts will thus beprevented from catching upon the point of the advancing cam during theperiod of transition of the shifting cam 11 from its high to its lowposition and of course the switch point acts in a similar. manner 'individing the needles when the shifting cam 11 moves from its low to itshigh position, it being understood that this shifting cam 11 is notoperated step by step but by a continuous movement from one position tothe other.

In the operation of the machine if the-butt or heel of the needleleaving the shifting cam 11 strikes the switch point, or rather the edge25, centrally, z'. e. centrally of the butt or heel, the switch pointwill yield and as this edge runnin clines both upward y and inwardly thebutt will move onto the inclined guiding surface 23 and be directed.into the lower cam path, and the same will be true if the contactbetween the switch point and the needle butt keep the switch takes placeabove the center of-the butt i. c. the needle will be directeddownwardly. If the butt, strikes below its center it will be carried upinto the upper cam path. In either case the spring pressure exertedthrough the yielding switch point upon the needle butt will vserve toforce it back to its normal position accelerating the action of theneedle in getting into the proper needle path. If a butt rides up on theinclined edge of the switchvpoint or head it might point pressed backwere the head provided with a plain flat inner face,

'and therefore, part of the head at 24 so that, any needle which rideson this inclined face will clear itself or rather be forced into theupper cam path, the s ring action of the switch point or head tending tothis end.

back from the point in-- we have beveled off the upper box and dial caprotate the cams are op'erated by tappet devices-well known in the-Wildman type of machine. The wing cams 8 of the dial set are operatedthrough links 28 connected with the cams by pins extending through slots29 in the dial cap, the

links being adjustably connected by a .pin an d slot connection 30 withan arm 31 on a vertical shaft 32, journaled in the cam box, said shafthaving the tappet arm 33 thereon to strike one of the pattern controlleddisks 34 for operating the parts in one direction,

e. for setting the c'am'in its inward position for making a welt on thecylinder needles. A return tappet arm 35 on a shaft 36, geared to theshaft 32,- as usual, will return the wing cam to its outward or normalposition. 4 4 i a The shifting cams 11 of the-cylinder are operated byd1sks36 on shafts 37' rotatably mounted in the cam box, said diskshaving inclines 38 working under rollers or pins 39 projecting from thecam posts 11*, the shafts 37 having tappet arms 40 to strike the patterncontrolled disks 34 so that the'shifting cams may be dropped at oneoperation to their lowermost limits, return arms 41 being provided onshafts 42 geared to the shafts 37 in well known manner for returning thedisks to the position shown in Fig. 1, and thus lifting the cam posts 11and the shift ing cams. The clearing course cams 12 are operated in asimilar manner by cam disks 43 acting on the posts 12", tappet arms 44,45 havingtheir shafts geared together, being used to rotate the disks'bysaid arms striking the pattern controlled disks 34. The posts of thecams 11 and '12 maybe spring pressed downwardly as in ordinary practicThe pattern controlled disks are mounted on stems-'movable .verticallythrough the stationary base of the machine in a manner well known. Weprovide two'disks in the present machine, one for each set of cylin-.

der cams. They are arranged at diametrically opposite sides of themachine, and we have provided a simple form of mechanism for operatingboth of these disks from the same pattern mechanism and in unison. For

this purpose one disk is operated by a lever 46, similar to that shownin Letters. Patent of the United States Nov. 1, 1898, #613,346, or790,772 May 23, 1905. This lever is pivotally mounted'on the frame at46* and it has a pinor roller 47 operated by blocks on a pattern wheel48 on. a shaft 49, said shaft having measuring mechanism thereon, showngenerally at 50. The head 51 of this lever underlies the stem of onedisk 34 to raise the same or to permit it to lower by gravity. Thislever in our present machine has an arm 45* overlying an arm of hellcrank lever 52 pivoted to a part of the fixed frame,'the other arm ofthis lever being connected through a link 53. with another bell cranklever 54, the horizontal armof which underlies the. stem of the otherdisk 34. It will now be seen that when the lever 46 is oper-- ated toraise the disk 34 with which it is immediately associated, the arm 45will be depressed and through the described con nections the otherpattern disk 34 will be elevated so that while one pattern disk isoperating the tappet arms of one set of cylinder came, the other patterndisk will be adjusted into position to be struck by the tappet arms ofthe other set of cams for operating the said cams of this last mentionedset.

Sh0gga ng.The machine is provided with a shogging dial. The dial is heldin fixed position by a. dogless head similar in all main respects tothat shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to the WildmanMfg. (30., #1,012,966, Dec. 26., 1911. This head. is indicated generallyat 55. It is shogged automatically to change the relation of the dial inrespect to the cylinder from a' two and two to a one and one arrangementof the needles or the reverse. For this purpose the arm .56 Fig.1,corresponding to the arm l l of the said patent is o eratedautomatically from the pattern mec anism .to shog the dial. The patternwheel therefore has blocks 57 thereon to operate through a lever 58,rock .shaft 59, arm 60, link 61, arm 62, vertical rock shaft 63, the arm6.4, which has a pin 65 hearing on a lug 66 on the arm 56, so that whenthese connectionsare operated the dial will be shogged from a two andtwo to a one and one relation.

The machine has four feeds, two for each set of cams. These feeds aremarked a and b,

the former operating adjacent the adjustable wingcarns 8 of the dialwhile the feeds I) operate adjacent the shifting cams of the cylinder...

Operatiom-We will describe the operation in connection with one set ofdial and cylinder cams. When the wing cum 8 is adjusted inwardly towelting position welt is formed on the cylinder needles .at feed a. Atthe same timeatfeed'b rib fabric is being formed. The next change thattakes place is that the cylinder shifting cam 11 is lowered at feed I)so that here the cylinder needles will be directed below the advancingcam 6, the switch oint insuring an accurate and definite dividing of theneedles and these lowered needles will not therefore rise to. takethethread with the result that at this "feed-b a welt will be formed on the.dial needles. These welts are to prevent raveling back When thecylinder needles are subsequently' cleared, for the clearing course." Bythe depressing action of the shifting cam 11 of the, cylinder, thecylinder needles are carried entirely below the plane of the dialneedles which will allow the dial to be racked from a two and two to aone and one position -.of' the needles, which change 2'. e. to one andone now takes place. This change to. a one and one arrangement is toenable the clearing course to be made, because otherwise one stitchwould. be on two needles. The next change is to bring the shifting cam11 of the cylinder up at the feed 6 prior to making the clearing course.

These cylinder needles at feed I) take on the thread and the dialneedles at this feed also continue to take on the thread. At feed a thewing cam remaining in, welt continues to be formed at this feed on thecylinder needles. The next change is lifting the olearin course cam 12of the cylinder to clear tie cylinder needles, the needles passinginto abrush, Fi 3, to open the latches, said brush being indicated at 67.Immediately following the clearing action the use dles at the feed 1)rise because the shifting cam 11 has been lifted as above described, andthese needles at feed I) take on the thread for the foundation of thewelt. The next change following the clearing course is the dropping ofthe shifting cylinder cam 11 so that at feed I) the cylinder needleswill remain down for the formation of the welt on the dial necdles, andwe now have one wall of the wclt being formed at the feed a on thecylinder needles, and the other wall on the dial needles at the feed I).The dial is next racked back to two and two relation. Any number ofcourses of the double wall of French welt may now be knit. The nextchange is raisin the shifting cam at feed b, as a result of w iich ribknitting will be resumed at this feed. The nextchangc will be theshiftin outwardly of the wing cam at feed a, wlnch will result in theresumption of rib knitting at the feed a...

It will be noticed that the cylinder needles are shifted from their highto their low path without assuming a position where they would make tuckstitches, they being shifted from a point where the loops are on thelatch to their low limit where the cylinder needlesare below the planeof the dial needles.

It will be understood that as two sets of cams are employed in thecylinder and dial, each set having two feeds, the machine is thus duplexin character. We have provided therefore the two disks 34 atsubstantially opposite sides of the machine, one cooperating with oneset of cams and the other with the other set of cams, and in order tooperate these disks simultaneously we have provided theconnectionsdescribed above. r

The. stitch cams of each set of dial cams may be referred to as thefirst and second, the first stitch cam being the one which has theadjustable wing cam associated there with, and the stitchcams of thecylinders may be designated in like manner, the secnd stitch cam beingthe one associated with the two path advancing cam and the shift- Inshogging the dial is revolved against the direction'of movement of thecams. Convancing cam, a stitch cam, said advancing sequently' when it isdesired to'return the dial to its original position, it is, merely released and then the action of the cams.

against the needle butts turns the dial back to its original position.

We claim I I 1. In .acircular knitting machine, an adone needle path tothe other, and a radially yieldingswitch point between the advancing camand the'shifting cam, said switch point having an edge incliningupwardly and radially inwardly from its end with an upwardly inclinedsurface and a downwardly and outwardly inclined surface, substantiallyas described.

3.. In combination with a shifting cam, a cam having a'needle path aboveand below the same-anda switch point between said cams having an edgeinclining upwardly and A inwardly across the needle path, with'an up-.wardly inclined surface, a downwardly and outwardly inclined surfaceand an outwardly inclined surface along its upper edge,

,said point being yieldingly mounted, sub-' stantially as described.

,4. In combination in a circular knitting machine for making doublewalled welts, a set of dial cams including stitch cams and advancingcams, one of the latter bein adjustable into welting position, a set 0cylinder cams including two stitch and two advancing cams, one of saidadvancing cams being adjacent the fixed advancing cam of the dial andhaving a cam path above and a cam path below it, and a shifting cam infront of said two path advancing cam, means for operating the advancingcam of the dial to form welt fabric on the cylinder needles at one feed,and means for operating the shifting cylinder cam for directing theneedles into the lower cam path for making welt on the dial needles atthe other feed, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a circular knitting machine for making doublewalled welts, a set of dial cams including stitch cams and advancingcams, one of the latter being adjustable into welting position, a set ofcylinder cams including two stitch and two advancing cams, one of saidadvancing cams being adjacent the fixed advancing cam of the dial andhaving a cam path above and a cam path below it, and a shifting cam infront of said two path advancing cam, means for operating the advancingcam of the dial to form welt fabric on the cylinder needles at one feed,and means for operating the shifting cylinder cam for directing theneedles into the lower cam path for making welt on the dial needles atthe other feed, and a clearingcourse cam in front of the shifting camwith means for automatically operating the clearing course cam,substantially as described.

6. In combination in a circular knitting machine a cylinder and dial, aset of cams for the dial including first and second stitch cams, anadjustable advancing or wing cam for thefirst stitch cam, a fixedadvancingv cam for the second stitch cam, a set of cams for thecylinderincluding a first and a second stitch cam located respectivelyadjacent the first and second stitch cams of the dial, an advancing camfor the first'stitch cam, an advancing cam for the second stitch camhaving a needle path above it and a needle path below it, said advancingcam being located adjacent the second fixed advancing cam of the dial, ashifting cam in front of the two path advancing cam, a clearing coursecam in front of the shifting cam, means for operating the wing cam, theshifting cam and the clearing course cam automatically, and means forautomatically shogging the dial, substantially as described.

tially as described.

In testimony whereof, we aifix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK --B. WILDMAN. GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD. Witnesses:

, OWEN BALLARD \EDITI; C. FnIoK. I

